Page 22 of Lightning Strikes

Chapter 8

Angela

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After Mac dropped me off at his cabin, Max crawled up into my lap and promptly fell asleep as I scratched behind his ears. I partially shifted… Something I’ve never seen done outside of stories of pregnant shifters protecting themselves since they can’t shift into their wolf forms.

I’ve been exhausted. Moody. My wolf flipped out at me when I drank alcohol at the party for Miguel and Randy. I didn’t even notice skipping my last heat cycle.

Fuck.

I close my eyes to find my wolf and she’s pacing around and growling at me. Pissed off that I let Carolina get too close to me and I frown at her.

Am I pregnant?

She whimpers and lays back down in her little space and blinks at me with watery blue eyes. She nods and I open my eyes and cry. I drank the tea for days.Days.

I still have a few of that batch in my freezer, I need to take it over to Mac’s mom for her to check out. What if I picked the wrong flowers? What if they weren’t watered enough? I know those flowers by heart… They looked just fine.

I hear Mac’s pounding footsteps drift up the porch, gazing at his walls as he opens up the door and winks at me. He sets down Scout’s box right beside me, handing off the bag that’s filled with baby wipes, blankets, formula, and bottles.

“Thank you.” I whisper to him and still refuse to meet his eyes. I’m so fucking terrified and embarrassed. I’ll never see Cal again, my parents are gone, and I’m going to be all alone raising this pup. Will it even be a pup? Cal’s a human… Are there more hybrids out there?

Mac kneels in front of me and blows out a long breath. “You’re not alone, Angela Miller. You never have been and you never will be.” His light green eyes water, he blinks and looks away. “I’ve always loved you. The first time I saw you when you and your parents pulled up in that green hippy van… I told mom that you’d be my mate someday. I’ve always wanted you… I just wanted the best for you and didn’t think that was me. But I’m here, if you’ll have me. Not to mate, not if you don’t want… But that pup will have me. As a friend, an uncle, or… dad.”

I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face into his neck. “Can we get out of Prescott? Maybe out of this damn country?”

He kisses my hair, wrapping his arms around my back, and squeezes me. “Anything for you. Let’s go talk to mom and dad to get them on board. I’m sure they want the hell away from this pack regardless.” I run my fingers through his soft, messy brown strands and smile at him. I wrap my hands around his neck and bring his lips to mine and softly lean into him. I lick and nip at him until he opens up for me and kisses me back.

His tongue dips into my mouth and I wrap dance around his. This man. He’s always been mine. Friend. Protector. Lover.

I love him more than anything and would love to have him as a mate. But I still have feelings for Cal and I need to address that. Also there’s the fact that I need… more. Mac will understand. He always has.

I lean back and kiss his nose and breathe out a soft breath. I’m relaxed… calm. At least for now. I wipe my hands down my face, drying my tears.

“What if Cal comes back and wants to be in the pup’s life? He’s human but it’s not fair to keep this from him… I love you, want you, and always will… But…”

He chuckles and smooths his thumbs over my cheekbones, smirking at me. “I can handle sharing you… I wasn’t jealous when you were with Adam… I wasn’t jealous while we were in college and you had your fun. You invited me to join… Angela, those were the best years of my life. I was just a coward and pushed you to be with Adam because he’s alpha and I just… I thought you deserved more. I should have known better, like I do now.” He huffs and shakes his head. “I’m so fucking sorry for pushing you two together. For not owning up to my true feelings. For not telling you how much I care about you and love you.”

I nod and groan. “Adam needs to grow up and put the pack first instead of his dick. His parents made a mistake placing him as alpha so damn young then just abandoning him here. I mean, fuck… There’s barely twenty of us here in this pack left now, but it’s still fucked up. Without my parents or his… We’re all a mess.”

He snorts. “You should come to a pack meeting before we move. It’s hysterical. He tries to make demands and no one listens to him. Carolina causes a scene at each one, smearing your name. Do you want to know how many people hang around once she opened her mouth?” I shake my head and he just laughs. “None. Not even the enforcers.”

I lick my lips, leaning back into the cushions. I stare down at Max and check on Scout. She’s out like a light and I use my index finger to pet her head, down her soft back. “Well, it sounds like he just broke it off, so it’s probably a good thing that we’re getting out of Dodge soon… No one should be around that damn mess.”

Mac eventually sits beside me and we watch mindless TV in between eating snacks, relaxing, and cuddling on the couch. After Scout wakes, I feed her then we get ready to walk over to the Daniels’ cabin.

I sigh as I shake out my hands and pat my thigh for Max to follow. “Come on boy, let’s go!” Mac offers to carry Scout and her bag as we step out into the fresh air and I stare up at the darkening sky. I close my eyes and enjoy the sounds of the crickets, birds, and distant howls envelop me. I’ll miss the forest… Just not the close proximity of humans or the pack in general.

The pack in Idaho was dozens of miles away from the humans and it was incredible. We had our own shops, restaurants, and community, but it was still small and the alpha was up everyone’s ass. Now with a pup on the way to worry about… I wouldn’t mind opening up an office in a larger pack and be the pack doctor. Maybe eventually I can venture out to being a mobile vet for a nearby town. No more clinic, office, or hospital to deal with. No more humans. I think I’ve learned my lesson now.

The more I think about that future, the more it calls to me. Just being in nature… I sigh. We begin our trek and I laugh as Max runs in circles around us, speeding off towards the cabin that I know as well as my own.

After vet school I lived in an apartment down the road from the clinic. Tried to integrate more into a human life… Then after my parents… I moved back into the cabin and more often than not, I have these sensations that I shouldn’t be working so closely with humans anymore. That I should be closer to a pack, build it up into a tight knit community… Like how it used to be when the fae were around. We should be taking care of one another. A true family.

I press my lips together as we step up onto the porch and immediately my eyes water as Ella opens the door, pulling me into her arms and breathes me in.

“Angela… My sweet girl.” She whispers into my hair and rocks from side to side with me in her arms. “We love you so much, you need to start coming around more, you hear?”

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